A woman was hurt as a lorry smashed into a Birmingham railway bridge for the second time in a matter of hours – and the fourth time in two months. She was injured in the second HGV strike at Summer Road in Erdington today, Tuesday, January 7.
Trains on the busy Cross City Line were disrupted by the incidents, which happened just days after an earlier bridge strike at the same location on Friday, January 3. It was also hit on November 8.
The railway bridge, which takes the line over Summer Road, was first hit by a lorry at around 10am on Tuesday, with rail services from Birmingham New Street, to Erdington, Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield halted for around one hour. That lorry driver ‘did not stop’.
READ MORE: Bridge strike shuts railway line live – third incident at same bridge in a week
Network Rail checked the bridge and rail services resumed at around 11am. But shortly after midday a second lorry hit the bridge, this time with a more severe impact. On the second occasion, a lorry from Velocity Transport Solutions, based in Seaham on the north-east coast, hit the bridge – leaving the roof of the trailer sheared off.
A woman was injured by debris from the collision and was taken to hospital. The lorry driver was examined but escaped with a minor injury.
A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We were called by the police to reports of a lorry which had collided with a bridge on Summer Road, Erdington, at 12.12pm today. One ambulance and a paramedic officer responded to the scene.
“A pedestrian, a woman, who was hit by debris during the collision was also assessed on scene. She received treatment for injuries before being conveyed to Good Hope Hospital for further precautionary checks. The lorry driver, a man, was checked and was found with a minor injury. He was discharged on scene.”
Part of the lorry’s trailer has been sheered off when its hit the Summer Road railway bridge in Erdington
(Image: Birmingham Live)
After both crashes rail tickets were being accepted by National Express West Midlands on bus services between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield. Roads around Erdington town centre were snarled up with traffic around Six Ways and along Sutton New Road, as vehicles avoided Summer Road.
West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire Service also attended the second bridge strike. A spokeswoman for the fire service said: “We received the first call at 12.10pm to reports a vehicle had hit the railway bridge.
“We sent a crew from Perry Barr. And then a technical rescue crew from Bickenhill. They are in attendance in case they can help with the structural damage caused to the bridge.”
Emergency services respond to another bridge strike in Summer Road, Erdington
(Image: Erdington Police)
Despite there being low bridge signs, yellow and black chevrons and a height warning on the sides of the bridge, the strikes keep happening. Network Rail issued an plea for drivers to ‘wise up, size’ and know the height of their vehicles.
READ MORE: Rail and road services disrupted as truck strikes bridge and overturns
Martin Colmey, operations director for Network Rail’s Central route, said: “There is no excuse for driving a lorry into a railway bridge. Our bridges are clearly marked, and lorry drivers should always know the height restrictions of their vehicles.
“To ignore both and bash a bridge, causing disruption to passengers and road users, is unforgivable. We are looking into what might have caused this recent spate of bridge bashes. But I plead with all drivers to know their vehicle restrictions and, if in doubt about whether they can fit under a bridge, to always use an alternative route.”